Santa Cruz Beach

One of the my expectation for USA trip is to experience passion of summer beach, YOU MUST GO TO BEACH DURING SUMMER!!! Santa Rosa or North California do not have much beach, and the wind is too strong and cold...
I been to Los Angeles with nice beach, Santa Monica(7 hours drive from Santa Rosa) , but we only spend few hours there as we need to drive back to Santa Rosa after 2 night trip at Los Angeles... Not really have chances to swim and enjoy the beach...
Fortunately, some local folk told me about Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which is a place i looking for, 2.5 hours drive from Santa Rosa is a bit far, but don't care!! Let's go!!! This time i can spend a whole day there... Cool!!
Parking Tips at Santa Cruz Beach
While planning a date, you might want find out the weather forecast, look at temperature, cloud coverage, and wind speed, you don't want to go beach with strong wind, althought the sun during summer is hot...
Arriving at Santa Cruz Beach, if there are traffic jam, that is good as that shown nice day to be there... as well, you hardly find a parking lot, unless you enter to those private parking, which charge you 8-20 bucks per entry, if you just follow the car crowd to move, it always route you toward east and keep you moving around with those private parking. You can try move to west, in legal road, get to Pacific Ave, and look for Ocean Pacific Hotel, across the road of hotel, there is a public parking lot, which cost you maximum 5 bucks per day only, no people on duty to get the fee, but you need to go the machine, read the instruction, pay, get ticket and place in your car... that parking is a bit far, but not so bad... take your time to find the beach...Boardwalk
Boardwalk is something that build at soft or wet land with wooden... as path way for people to walk around, and for Santa Cruz beach, an amusement park operated on a boardwalk... it has roller coster, cable car, casino, arcade, cafe, sourvinor shop, and etc... A place to make Santa Cruz buzy other than just a beach...

Beach
Yo Bro!! You must wear boardpant at beach!! I make sure i bought a boardpant before i came here, come 'on !!! This the place where boardpant belongs!!! (if you don't wear that for surfing...) Water from Pacific Ocean here is freezing cold!! but no worry, sand on the beach here is absolutely hot! so you able to compensate that... hehe...
You really must swim here, freezing is not never be a valid excuse... Just enjoy the crowd, volley ball, bikini, frisbee, soccer, picnic, swimming, reading, wind, ocean view and say hi to sun... hehe..
Again, you will not like any beach with strong wind, because all those fine sand go with wind as well... might even spoil your mood of picnic here... So make sure you aware with weather forecast....

As well, if you really want to have picnic, make sure you consider to share with those who stays here....

That should be all i want to share about this place, many of my friend not really prefer as here is far, hot sun and water is freezing cold, but this will always be one of my recommendation for those who traveling to North California during summer...

[This is part of California Experience]